The Coach SpaceIf you’ve ever wondered why you sabotage your goals, lash out in relationships, or act in ways that contradict your deepest values, you’re not alone. Most people know what it feels like to behave in ways they later regret – and to be puzzled by their own actions. Why do we so often do what we don’t want to do?
One compelling answer comes from Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith, whose bold theory of the human condition is gaining international attention – and serious academic support. Professor Harry Prosen, former President of the Canadian Psychiatric Association, has called Griffith’s work “the 11th hour breakthrough” for humanity. Others, like psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (creator of the concept of “flow”) and Professor Scott Churchill, have praised Griffith’s treatise as a paradigm-shifting explanation of our collective psychology.
At the heart of Griffith’s work – shared through the non-profit organisation he founded, the WTM (World Transformation Movement) – is a deceptively simple idea: that all of our troubling behaviours stem from an unresolved psychological conflict with its origins deep within our evolutionary past.
A Battle Between Instinct and Intellect
Griffith argues that this conflict began millions of years ago when our distant forebears evolved the capacity for conscious thought. Before this, our behaviour was guided by instincts – automatic responses shaped by natural selection. But with the emergence of consciousness, humans began to act independently, questioning and defying instinct in an effort to understand and manage their world.
This divergence created an internal clash: instincts, unable to comprehend the developing intellect, resisted these changes. The result was a deep psychological wound – a sense of guilt and insecurity that Griffith calls the human condition.
Over time, this original rift has expressed itself in a multitude of forms – from low self-esteem to chronic anxiety, from addiction to aggression. While trauma, abuse, or social pressures shape how these issues appear, Griffith maintains that their ultimate cause lies in this unresolved evolutionary conflict.
And this is where it gets personal. According to Griffith, it is this original inner conflict that ultimately explains why we so often behave in ways that contradict our own values. We snap at loved ones, avoid what we care about, or chase validation in places we know won’t satisfy us. Not because we’re weak or flawed – but because we’re trying, often unconsciously, to prove our worth. Beneath the surface, there’s a core insecurity driving us to constantly defend ourselves: to look strong, to be right, to succeed at all costs.
That desperation to feel good about ourselves becomes an overwhelming preoccupation – leaving little room for us to be the calm, connected, kind person we know we are deep down. As coaches know all too well, it’s not the lack of tools or willpower that holds people back. It’s the unresolved conflict within. And Griffith’s explanation offers a radically compassionate way to understand that.
Understanding as Transformation
This theory doesn’t just make sense of our past – it offers a way forward.
Griffith insists that once we understand the true nature of our inner conflict, we can stop blaming ourselves. “Now that we understand ourselves,” he says, “we no longer need to seek power, fame, or fortune to validate our worth.”
Professor Prosen echoes this point, noting that “the beauty of Griffith’s treatise is that the healing starts at the macro level of the universal human condition.” By first addressing the shame and blame shared by all humanity, individuals can then begin to reconcile their own experience – from a place of self-compassion, not judgment.
Why This Perspective Matters
What makes Griffith’s theory so compelling is that it reframes our emotional struggles not as personal failings, but as the legacy of a deeply human – and even heroic – inner conflict. For those of us engaged in the work of growth and transformation, this offers a refreshing shift in narrative.
Instead of endlessly managing surface behaviours, this perspective invites us to look deeper, to see emotional patterns as meaningful symptoms of an unresolved psychological history. It opens the door to greater self-acceptance, not through more effort or better habits, but through understanding – and that, in itself, can be transformative.
Learn More
The WTM (World Transformation Movement) offers free access to Jeremy Griffith’s books on the human condition, including FREEDOM: The End of the Human Condition, and the acclaimed WTM Interview, which distills the theory into a clear and engaging conversation. If you’re curious about why people do what they don’t want to do – and how to change it – this might be a resource worth exploring.
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